CSI Lamp Control Gear

From what I can find they were a high voltage tungsten filament lamp so all you should need to do is give it the correct voltage.

Personally if it was me I would just refit it to use a modern halogen lamp that has the same wattage and is of a size that fits the unit and call it good.

Actually a Quartz Iodide lamp is a discharge ( arc ) lamp. It operates by an arc thru the gas in the bulb. The filament is heated to produce an ignition cloud in the gas and once the arc strikes over the lamp is running.

You will need a ballast with a starter much the same as the older Fluorescent tubes need. I'm not sure about the voltage but a lighting / electric supply house should still have Q-I components. I would not try to build a Q-I starter - regulator, it's not a low voltage, simple circuit for the novice.

Since 1978 there have been improvements in lighting technology ( halogen ) that replace this very well. I agree with recycle / reuse, but you might save in the long run by going to that instead of refurbishing a system and then having the lamp reach end of life, and replace that too. How much $ do you want to spend, is it worth it to revive 1978 technology ? Halogens with case and lamp here sell for less than what you would pay for a new Q-I lamp alone (lol I think) plus require NO support circuits..

Good Luck.

I did some back reading and from what I can find the Quartz Iodide discharge lamp is just fancy name for what we now commonly call a Mercury vapor Arc lamp.

Quartz iodide is what the bulbs glass is made of but the actual internal arc is mercury vapor based like a normal utility pole light.

The only big difference is that the bulbs they used in the search light have a short life expectancy due to being severely overdriven to get rapid warm up times and maximum illumination out of them.

Th nearest equivalent specs I can find would be the equivalent to running a 175 watt mercury vapor bulb off of a 400 watt ballast system. It works but a normally 10 - 20K hour rated MV bulb will only take that for a few tens to a hundred or so running hours before burning up.

That said if the OP really wants to keep it close to original the most modern day compatible ballast system to use would be a pulse start 400 watt metal halide unit driving a undersized bulb.

goldian;

I found this FSP380 but it says lamp life only 500 hours so that sounds too little.

http://www.francis.co.uk/_includes/docs/pdf/signalling/data/FSP380.pdf‎

These days all Fluorescent Lamps contain Mercury or Mercury Amalgam. Halogen Lamps light up like normal lamps.

Thanks for all helpful comments

I would like to get as close to original as possible - not intending to use the searchlight regularly so hours of use life not important. Can anyone help with what components are in the control gear overall. from different sources I hear

a) Ballast

b) Ignitor

c) Timer (for ignitor)

Many thanks

Ian

Any modern pulse start HID lighting ballast system does not need a timer for the ignition system. They are automatic.

Lovely thanks tcmtech

A searchlight produces a narrow focused beam, way too bright and narrow for garden illumination, unless you want to illuminate one statue or similar.

I'd gut it and find an LED light or system that can be place in the original housing.

If reflectors are removed then it is 360 degree light source like mercury lamp. One has to cool the lamp so some fan perhaps may be essential.

"If reflectors are removed then it is 360 degree light source like mercury lamp."

As I indicated, I'd think you would want a 360° source for garden illumination.

"One has to cool the lamp so some fan perhaps may be essential."

Much less so with LEDs.

gordian;

Halogen lamps are dead cheap, and we get six for a dollar in India for 500W or 1kW and they can flood light so why sticking to something that is making hell out of you? Is is some kind of learning attitude?

You may like to see this

http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/emea/images/Halogen_Lamps_Spectrum_Catalogue_EN_tcm181-25047.pdf

http://www.newport.com/Quartz-Tungsten-Halogen-Lamps/378263/1033/info.aspx

I am only worried about UV spectrum and intense flood light that may affect human vision under direct exposure. They are too bright. Most of the video / movie recording / stage performance are done in flood lights. You also use these for security purposes.

Why not remove the guts, pack them away carefully in case you ever want to sell it in its original state.

If you get it working, the neighbours will give you some stick!!! TOO BRIGHT!!

Then, without alteration (thats the skillful part) add modern stuff to allow usage in your garden....a good halogen bulb should do it, with a carefully made mounting using original screw holes.....

Easy and cheap!!

Junk it or place it on long-term-loan with a registered museum as a display artefact. Replace it with a modern LED equivalent consuming a fraction of the power. The savings on power will pay for it in weeks-to-months. Good investment.